My husband yelled at me on the phone, ‘Grab the girl and run now!’ — Ten minutes later, the police surrounded the entire house

“Let’s go to the bathroom,” I said to Mariana, trying to sound normal.

She nodded, distracted, busy arranging disposable plates.

But instead of going into the hallway, I went straight to the front door.

“Mom?” Emma whispered, pressing her little face to my neck. What’s going on?

“Nothing, my love,” I said, my hands trembling as I opened the door. Let’s go for a walk.

As soon as we crossed the threshold, I heard him.

Mermaids.

Not one or two.
Many.
Too many.

They sounded in the distance, but every second they were closer. I froze on the porch, feeling fear rise from my feet.

“Mom…” Emma clung to my neck tightly.

Then I saw them. Black pickup trucks without license plates sped forward from both sides of the street. Patrols behind, with red and blue turrets illuminating everything as if it were daytime. The neighbors came out of their houses, in their pajamas, pointing, without understanding anything.